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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE 

It'S. BUREAU OF FISHERIES. 


Economic Circular No. 27, E cond Revision 


Issued October 25, 1917 


A PRACTICAL SMALL SMOKEHOUSE FOR FISH: 
How to Construct and Operate It.“ 


INTRODUCTION. 


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In nearly every locality there are fishes of good food quality that 
seem to find no place in the ordinary domestic economy merely be¬ 
cause they have not the most approved flavor or texture when prepared 
in the usual manner or because the bones are found troublesome. 
Among these are the bowfins, mooneyes, buffalofishes, carps, and 
sturgeons. Yet these fishes, when cured by the simple process of 
smoking, are of excellent flavor and may be kept several weeks if pro¬ 
tected from mold. As a result of smoking, the flesh acquires a firm 
texture that makes the removal of bones much easier than in the case 
of fried, baked, or boiled fish. 

Many fishermen find it difficult to dispose of their catch of the 
larger or “ coarser ” fish except at the very lowest prices, but if the 
fish are properly smoked, which requires very little labor or expense, 
a much higher price may be commanded. It is an additional advan¬ 
tage that the cured fish do not have to be dumped upon the market 
immediately, but the sales can be distributed over a period of several 
days, if necessary. Furthermore, the customer who would buv only 
2 or 3 pounds of fresh fish for the day’s use can properly purchase a 
supply of smoked fish to last one or two weeks. The smokehouse also 
solves a problem for the owner of a fish pond or lake who wishes to 
capture from time to time quantities of the “waste” fish, as he may 
deem them, that seem to crowd the game fish from his pond. 

A small and easily operated smokehouse for fish is, therefore, a 
convenient apparatus and a profitable investment for the fisherman 
and for the pond owner. It will also serve a useful purpose to others. 
The cheaper fish are often sold at the river for nominal prices, from 
1 to 3 cents a pound, while meats of equal food value cost several 
times as much. The householder would then be wise to purchase a 
quantity of the fish, smoke them in his own back yard, and stock the 
pantry with nutritious and palatable food, while effecting a real 
measure of economy. Here is evidently a good opportunity for 
cooperation between neighbors. 

Most persons like smoked fish. Others find it an easy taste to 
acquire. A word of caution should be offered. Do not judge smoked 
fish by the hastily, carelessly prepared product that some fishermen 
are willing to sell. A couple of hours’ hard smoking under improper 
conditions may make a “ smoked fish ” in appearance but not in fact. 
Again, fish are sometimes smoked with excessive and long-continued 
heat until the product is dry and unattractive, and edible only when 
cooked. The smoking operation is simple, but thought, care, and 

a Based on experiments by J. B. Southall, United States Fisheries Biological Station, 
j-Fairport, Iowa, and by others. 

41603°—-18 


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observation are required to get the most desirable results. Try smok¬ 
ing your own fish if the opportunity occurs; it is an interesting 
experience. ' J 

The construction and operation of a small smokehouse, which has 
been found to be entirely satisfactory when used experimentally by 
the Bureau of Fisheries, are herein described, together with the gen¬ 
eral method of treatment of the common fresh-water fishes of the 
Mississippi Basin and notes on the special treatment of several fishes. 



Smokehouse, as described, door and top closed, draft port partly open. 


CONSTRUCTION OF THE SMOKEHOUSE. 

The smokehouse has four sides and a detachable top. The earth is 
the floor. The dimensions are 3 feet 6 inches by 3 feet 6 inches by 
7 feet high, inside measurements. The house is made of five sec¬ 
tions—the front, back, two sides, and top. Each section is sepa¬ 
rately made of 2 by 2 inch cypress lumber, covered with 26-gauge gal- 
yanized iron or painted sheet iron. The sections are held t ogether by 
four :{-inch by 4-inch bolts at each vertical edge, A detachabie 
cover is made to fit over the top of the house, one-fourth inch larger 


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than the house. The door. 2 by 5 feet, is swung on three hinges on 
the trout section, with its lower edge 8 inches from the ground, 
the draft is regulated by an 8-inch circular galvanized-iron plate, 
pivoted to cover a 6-inch hole cut in the door. The hole in the door 







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Smokehouse, door and top open. (This smokehouse differs slightly in details from 

that described herein.) 


which is hereafter referred to as the draft port, is flanged to prevent 
cutting and scratching the hands and arms. 

Six inches from the top, on each side, are six 1-inch holes covered 
with slides having corresponding holes, which may be moved to reg- 










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ulate the outlet of smoke and steam. Corks may be used instead of 
the slide. On the inside of the house two 1 by 2 inch strips are 
nailed, 7 inches and 20 inches, respectively, from the top. These 
strips are supports for the rods from which the fish are suspended 
by S hooks made from No. 10 galvanized-iron wire, or, better, strips 
of wood pierced by nails upon which the fish are impaled. 

The essentials of the smokehouse understood, various modifications 
may be introduced. If the ventilation is kept essentially as described, 
other materials may be used in the construction—wood, brick, or 
cement. 

CLEANING AND SALTING THE FISH. 

In preparation for smoking, the fish is first split along the belly 
from head to vent and the entrails removed. With some species, such 
as the bowfin, a short longitudinal cut just behind the vent is made, 
disclosing a dark mass (the kidney), which should be removed. The 
head is then severed and the fish thoroughly washed. The scales 
should be left on. Those fishes having a dark abdominal lining 
should be scrubbed with a stiff brush until the lining is removed. 

If the fish are small, no further treatment is necessary before plac¬ 
ing them in the brine. If they are large, weighing 2 pounds or 
more, they should be split down the back from the inside, severing 
the ribs close to the backbone, the cut being sufficiently deep so that 
the fish will lie flat. Extra large fish may be cut into two or more 
lengths and the large body pieces split as just described. This 
method of preparing the large fish permits the salt to penetrate more 
easily and insure a more evenly smoked product. 

A brine is prepared by dissolving 1 pound of common barrel salt 
to each gallon of water. The fish are placed in the brine skin side 
down, and, as a general rule, should be left in the brine overnight. 
On removal from the brine they are given a washing in fresh water 
for at least half an hour, and then placed on sloping trays or hung¬ 
up to drain. 

The small sturgeon of the Mississippi River are only beheaded and 
eviscerated. Large sturgeon are dressed and skinned, cut into pieces 
of about 2 pounds, brined overnight, and washed 20 minutes. The 
pieces may be hung by pieces of cord. They are smoked slowly for 
five or six hours. The fire is then allowed to burn hotter to cook 
the fish. After having been smoked, they are scrubbed with a brush 
and fresh water. Lake herring should be eviscerated, brined over¬ 
night, washed, hung by the tail, and smoked three or four hours. 
Butterfish are treated as lake herring. The bonito is beheaded, evis¬ 
cerated, split down the back inside, brined overnight, next morning 
washed, hung by S hooks, allowed to dry, and smoked five hours. 
Mooneye is treated as butterfish or lake herring. Eels should be 
skinned, gutted, brined overnight, and smoked five hours in hot 
smoke. 

Bowfin are split on the belly and eviscerated. Wash, then cut the 
ribs on both sides of backbone, and remove the backbone along the 
body cavity but not in the tail section. Cover with dry salt, as this 
makes them tougher and better able to be suspended from the hooks. 
Fish salted in this way form a brine in a short time, but should be 
left in this brine for at least 12 hours. On removal from the brine 


they should be soaked in fresh water for an hour before being- 
placed in smokehouse. 

Carp is treated as bowfin, but it is first “fleeced,'’ i. e., the scales 
are removed, along with the thin underlying skin, with a sharp knife. 

SMOKING THE PRODUCT. 

Hang small fish to the iron cross rod by means of S hooks passing- 
through the tail, as illustrated. Large "fish, or those too tender to 
hold their own weight, may be hung by three hooks or by tying 
them with cord, or they may be cut into sections small enough to 
hang separately. Do not allow the fish to touch one another. 

The fish are next to be dried. It is important that all surface 
moisture be removed from them, and it is well not to undertake to 
smoke fish on damp days unless necessary. If the weather is dry 
and clear, the fish may be hung in the sun and wind. In damp 



Method of hanging small fish with S hooks. 


weather they are put in the smokehouse and dried by the fire, with 
the draft port and the top open. Build a fire on the floor of any 
fuel, except resinous materials, that may be obtainable; leave door 
open until fire burns freely, then close door and leave port open to 
create a draft. This part of the process continues until the fish are 
quite dry on the surface. LTnless properly dried, many of the fish will 
fall off the hooks and become a loss. 

When smoking proper begins, replenish the fire and close the 
door, draft port, and top. As soon as the fish begin to color, open 
the draft port, but at no time allow the fire to blaze. Smoking must 
be continued until the fish are properly cooked and have a dark- 
brown color. 

An advantage of the port opening is that through it the fire can 
be watched and replenished withhut opening the door. A good way 
to tell when the fire needs replenishing is to watch the escape of 
smoke. When it decreases, it is time to put on more fuel. If the 
door of the house is opened while there is a large amount of fuel 
on the fire, the latter may blaze up and scorch the fish. It might be 
well to have a small amount of sawdust at hand for this emergency; 
scattering a small amount over the fire will check the flame. 












The fish are dried after salting and preliminary to the operation of smoking. These fish are 

impaled on nails driven through strips of wood. 




















FUELS USED IN SMOKING. 


Any dr y. wood 5 except fat pine, may be used in smoking fish. 
Dnitwood is excellent. The sawdust and shavings from furniture 
and wagon factories are good, as it is easy to regulate the smoke 
from them. Green wood or damp fuel of any kind is objectionable 
because the moisture driven out with the smoke makes the fish soggy. 
Corncobs are quite satisfactory fuel. Pine wood imparts a resinous 
flavor to the product, making it very unpalatable. A small amount 
of pine wood may be used with other woods when better fuels are not 
available in sufficient quantity. 



A smokehouse hastily constructed in the field. The operator is kindling a fire in the 
fire box, which, it should be noted, is several feet removed from the house but con¬ 
nected With it by an underground flue. 

PROTECTION FROM MOLD. 

Smoked fish are best kept in a fairly cool and dry place, to prevent 
molding. They should, of course, be protected from ordinary house¬ 
hold pests. Dipping in melted paraffin is a good means of providing 
a protective envelope about the fish. If this practice is followed, the 
fish should be handled as little as possible after dipping and allowing 
to cool, as the paraffin may crack and chip off. When the fish is to be 
prepared for the table, the paraffin is easily removed by immersing 
the fish for a few moments in hot water. 














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MODIFICATION OF PLAN FOR SPECIAL PURPOSES. 


Certain modifications of the small smokehouse plan to meet par¬ 
ticular conditions are suggested in the following paragraphs: 

In cold or rainy weather condensation of moisture on the under¬ 
side of the roof may occur, so that the dripping of water on the fish 
may injure the appearance, though not the quality, of the product. 
This difficulty has been overcome in practice by stretching a double 
thickness of burlap just beneath the top. This has the double effect 
of reducing condensation and of absorbing the moisture as it is 
condensed. 


The wrong way to pack fish in salting tub. 


The right way to pack fish in salting tub. 




In very warm weather, or in the far South, the fire on the floor 
often causes too high a temperature within the house to admit of 
satisfactory results from methods of “ cold smoking.” For this 
method, since a temperature higher than 110° F. is not permissible, 
it is preferable to have a fire box removed from the house, and the 
smoke conveyed through an underground pipe ending in an elbow 
joint in the bottom of the smokehouse. A common stovepipe damper 
is placed in the middle joint of pipe, the ordinary handle being fitted 
with an extension b}^ means of which the damper is operated from 
above when the pipe is covered with earth. This damper is the 
principal fire and smoke control. 

A nice feature is added by the use of a “ smoke spreader,” which is 
a rectangular galvanized-iron box, 1 foot square and 2 feet high, open 
at the bottom. Numerous three-quarter-incli holes punched in the 
sides and top permit the escape of smoke. This box is placed 
directly over the mouth of the elbow and causes an even distribution 
of smoke throughout the house. It serves also to prevent the scorch¬ 
ing of fish by direct draft, if at certain stages considerable heat is 
applied. 

The arrangement of fire box, smoke flue, and smoke spreader is 
made clear by the accompanying figures, which also illustrate other 
possible modifications, such as construction of wood, sliding trays, 
and top ventilator in roof. The screen trays should never be used if 


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the fish can be suspended, since the impression of the screen wire 
detracts fiom the appearance of the fish. A method of suspending 



Plan of smokehouse with fire hox removed from the house. Note the iron rod (one of a 
series) near the top from which fish may he suspended, the smoke spreader, and the 
ventilator on top. 

fish which has distinct advantages over the use of S hooks on iron 
rods, consists in the use of strips of nonresinous wood, 1 by 2 inches, 
with 8-penny finishing nails driven through and bent slightly up¬ 
ward. The fish are impaled on the nails by the heads or otherwise. 
Yellow pine or other resinous woods should be avoided, if possible, as 
material for construction, because they are too readily inflammable. 

When commercial smoking on a considerable scale is contemplated 
and the required capital is available, a house of any desired dimension 
may be constructed, and being of a permanent nature, it should be 
built of brick or other materials providing insulation and prevention 
both of wastage of heat and of undesirable fluctuations of tempera¬ 
ture. It is riot the purpose of this circular to treat of the require¬ 
ments and the design of large smokehouses, but plans and specifica¬ 
tions may be had upon application to the Bureau of Fisheries, Wash¬ 
ington, D. C. 










































































































































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. . front sides 

Working drawings of smokehouse; cross section, front, and sides. 
















































































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1 


12 

LIST OF ECONOMIC CIRCULARS ON FISH AS FOOD. 


[These circulars are sent free on application. Order by number from Division F, United States Bureau 

of Fisheries, Washington, D. C.] 

11. Canned salmon: Cheaper than meats and why; including 50 tested recipes. 

12. Sea mussels: What they are and how to cook them; with 18 recipes. 

13. Commercial possibilities of the goosefish: A neglected food; with 10 recipes. 

18. Oysters: A little of their history and how to cook them. 

19. The tilefish: A new deep-sea food fish. 

20. Caviar: What it is and how to prepare it. 

22. The grayfish. Try it. It knocks II out of the H. C. of L. 

23. The sablefish, alias black cod. An introduction to one of the best and richest 

of American food fishes, with recipes for cooking it. 

25. The burbot: A fresh-water cousin to the cod. 

26. The bowfin: An old-fashioned fish with a new-found use. 

27. A practical small smokehouse for fish. How to construct and operate it. 

28. Preserving fish for domestic use. 

29. Why and how to use salt and smoked fish. Sixty-one ways of cooking them, i 

30. Possibilities of food from fish. 

31. The carp: A valuable food resource. With 23 recipes. 

32. The whiting: A good fish not adequately utilized. 

33. The eulachon: A rich and delicious little fish. 

34. Skates and rays. Interesting fishes of great food value, with 29 recipes for cook; 

them. 


LIBRARY OF CONGRESS 



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WASHINGTON : GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE : 1918 




























